The Best Ways to Stay in the Know
Trending now! Breaking news! Must know! Living in a society where a vast amount of knowledge is at our fingertips is empowering, but it can also be incredibly intimidating. How do you stay up to date on the latest trends when what's new and trendy changes hourly?
It's not about how much you know, but knowing the right things. Here are some ways I tailor my information intake that allow me to consume information quickly and efficiently while maintaining a scope of variety and relevant depth.
Embrace Consolidation
Utilize tools that specialize in gathering a variety of information and conveying it as succinctly, yet as accurately and completely, as possible. My favorite morning ritual is The Skimm for global news. It's a free daily newsletter delivered to your inbox that's actually funny, takes no more than 5 minutes to read, has full, accurate content, and also includes a section on developing products. PR Week also has a great selection of newsletters that deliver content on the communication industry and offer options for niche units. When trying to learn a variety of news and trends, go light on depth.
Be Selective
After skimming relevant news and trends, decide what you want to go deeper on. Google alerts are a lifesaver for this. Subscribing to your favorite news apps are good, but they can overwhelm your screen with breaking news every five minutes. Setting up Google alerts will notify you to developing stories that you've told it you want to know more about. You can choose the organizations and events that you feel are relevant to you. While Twitter is great for seeing breaking news, if you only read headlines and tweets without diving into multiple articles about an issue, your knowledge will be wide but surface level. Choose the stories you want to know more about and spend your time becoming an expert on stories that are relevant. Here's a tutorial on how to set up a Google alert.
Talk it Out
Talk to people about breaking news. Stay away from opinions on volatile topics and divisive subjects, but engage in discussion about current events and trends -- especially those that are relevant to your industry. The people around you acquire knowledge differently and will have unique insights and elements to add. I've gained some of my most valuable knowledge by listening and learning from others.
Don't shy away from the privilege we have of accessing knowledge quickly and deeply through digital assets, but utilize applications and sites that make it easier to digest more information quickly while allowing you to become an expert selectively.